Kenny Baker

If you grew up with Star Wars, you’ll knowKenny Baker.He starred as plucky droid R2-D2 in all six films, the only actor to appear in every Star Wars episode other than Anthony Daniels (robot C-3P0). Baker started his career in cabaret and has appeared in films including Mona Lisa and Time Bandits. He’s now on the Star Wars convention circuit.

You’re back playing R2-D2 in Revenge Of The Sith. Almost 30 years on from Star Wars, are you surprised they haven’t replaced you with CGI?

Before The Phantom Menace started, there was a huge campaign by the fans on the Internet saying they wanted me back in R2-D2 and George Lucas told them not to worry because I would be doing it. George has always said he likes me to be in the suit. It’s amazing what they can do with CGI, though; they can put you in the film even if you haven’t been in the scene. In the last film, R2 walked up a staircase and there is no way I would have been able to do that in the costume.

Do you appear in the costume very much in this film?

Not a lot, I have to be honest. I’ve done a few bits and pieces though. I think a lot of it is footage he’s already got of me in the robot from when we shot Attack Of The Clones and The Phantom Menace. My R2-D2 has got a definite movement to it – I can bend it forwards and backwards quite quickly and wobble it from side to side and say yes and no but there’s not a lot else I can do with it. Instead of dragging me back to the studios, if they need additional shots, they just do it digitally to save on paying my air fare.

How did you get the part?

Me and my cabaret partner Jack Purvis were asked to audition and went to 20th Century Fox in Soho Square and walked into the room where George Lucas was sitting. He saw me come in and said ‘He’ll do’ because I was the smallest guy they’d seen up until then. I’d also been in the business for 30 years before the film so I knew what happened on a film set. I turned it down three times because we were doing Opportunity Knocks at the time and I was hoping to get TV work and then take the act round the clubs. Once I’d done it though, and the film was released, it snowballed – when you’re part of one of the most famous films of all time, you decide to stick with it. Jack was a bit jealous at first but I persuaded him to make the most of it – our act rode the crest of the Star Wars wave for a while.

Do you attend a lot of the fan conventions?

Yes. It’s all I live on now. I do around three a month at the moment. I’m not making a fortune but I’m bouncing along. I’ve got a nice Rolls Royce, a nice bungalow and I’ve got a girlfriend who I first went out with in the 1960s, so I’m the happiest dwarf in Europe. It’s great to be involved in the Star Wars phenomenon – but 30 years later, I’m still not a millionaire.

What’s the situation with the money? Didn’t some of the actors have better deals than others?

Unfortunately, I didn’t have an agent who was too knowledgeable about films. Take the recent DVDs, for example – we didn’t know that DVDs would be invented so, even though they sell very well, some of the actors don’t have a prayer of getting any money from them. It’s the same with the Carry On films – the actors are taken for a ride while the producer sits in Pinewood Studios drinking pink gin. Only Alec Guinness, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford were on royalties.

Do you get on with fellow robot actor Anthony Daniels?

Not really. I thought it was just me he didn’t get on with but recently I’ve found out he doesn’t get on with anyone. He’s been such an awkward person over the years. If he just calmed down and socialised with everyone, we could make a fortune touring around making personal appearances. I’ve asked him four times now but, the last time, he looked down his nose at me like I was a piece of sh*t. He said: ‘I don’t do many of these conventions – go away little man.’ He really degraded me and made me feel small – for want of a better expression. He’s rude to everyone though, including the fans.

Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca, returns in this film. Was it nice to work with him again?

Oh yes. Peter was chuffed to be back; he’s a very happy wookiee now. He’s a good friend of ours. There are four of us – me, Peter, Boba Fett and Darth Vader – and we all meet up for the conventions and we’ve been mates for years. It’s like a party. We meet up in the hotel, have a meal, get drunk and then meet the punters the next day with bleary eyes.

Did you also play an Ewok?

Yes and I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. My wife, who has since passed away, was an Ewok as well. The costumes looked great but were horrible to wear. They were layers of foam, rubber and fur – imagine that in the Redwoods of California. When you put the head on, the eyes steamed up so you couldn’t see where you were going. We kept tripping over branches and, when you were down, you couldn’t get up – you just had to lie there until someone picked you up.

Are you still doing panto?

Yes, I’m back doing Snow White in Blackpool with Ruth Madoc. She’s playing the queen. I wanted to play the queen but they wouldn’t let me.